CG Power & CNSE Launch Global partnership to establish Center for Intelligent Power

The world-class center will enable nanoscale innovations for clean energy and smart grid solutions and create over 100 high-tech jobs at CNSE`s Albany NanoTech Complex and upstate New York

CG Power, a global leader in power transmission and distribution headquartered in Belgium, and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany announced a partnership to establish a world-class center at CNSE`s Albany NanoTech Complex that will enable nanotechnology innovations for smart grid solutions, creating over 100 high-tech jobs in upstate New York and fueling development and use of clean and renewable energy technologies.

The $20 million CG Power Center for Intelligent Power (CIP) will spur new opportunities for advanced research and development, prototyping, and education and workforce training to facilitate clean energy and smart grid technologies. More than 50 scientists, researchers and engineers will be located at CNSE`s Albany NanoTech Complex, and CG Power anticipates adding another 50 high-paying consulting, engineering and design jobs – expected to generate more than $50 million in revenue and investments statewide over the next five years – based on outcomes from this collaboration with CNSE.

A division of the $4 billion Avantha Group, headquartered in India, CG Power has an impressive global footprint in design, manufacture and marketing of technologically advanced electric products and services related to power generation, transmission and distribution.

Gautam Thapar, Chairman & CEO of Avantha Group, said, “Avantha Group is delighted to establish this strategic partnership with the globally recognized College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. Through the Center for Intelligent Power, CG Power and the UAlbany NanoCollege have an exceptional opportunity to develop clean energy technologies and deploy them as part of smart grid solutions, utilizing the unique capabilities of New York`s growing alternative energy industry to brighten the world`s energy future.”

Mark Scher, President and CEO of MSE Power Systems, CG Power`s largest U.S.- based transmission, smart grid and renewable energy group, said, “This new collaboration between CG Power and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering will address an important challenge by ensuring that critical green energy technologies can be integrated seamlessly into the grid. MSE Power Systems looks forward to this partnership between industrial and academic alternative energy powerhouses, to forge a cleaner and more energy efficient future while driving significant economic impact.”

Dr. Alain E. Kaloyeros, Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of CNSE, said, “This innovative partnership between the Albany NanoCollege and CG Power, a recognized global leader in clean energy systems and technologies, will positively impact our energy, environmental and economic futures. Through the world-class Center for Intelligent Power at CNSE, we look forward to jointly developing and deploying nanoscale technologies that produce renewable energy and a cleaner environment, while creating high-paying green collar jobs that further establish New York as a desired location for alternative and sustainable energy jobs, companies and investment.”

Dr. Pradeep Haldar, Director of CNSE`s Energy and Environmental Technology Applications Center (E2TAC), said, “We are excited to launch this collaboration with CG Power to accelerate the adoption and integration of alternative energy technologies with smart grid capabilities. Through the development of advanced systems for monitoring and evaluation of clean energy technologies, we can further enhance our ability to build New York`s green collar economy while reducing the nation`s carbon footprint.”

CG Power and CNSE`s E2TAC will jointly conduct leading-edge research and development activities to accelerate the use of a wide range of smart grid technologies, including advanced products and applications to integrate renewable energy facilities into power transmission and distribution systems; Together they will develop novel systems to manage reactive power flow and voltage in energy transmission; monitor and evaluate control systems to allow real-time analysis of the performance of these systems at the substation or micro-grid level; and improve workforce training for operators serving advanced substations with smart grid capabilities.

Research and development activities at the CIP will harness the unparalleled intellectual know-how and technological capabilities of CNSE`s $5.5 billion Albany NanoTech Complex, the most advanced research enterprise of its kind at any university in the world. As part of E2TAC, CNSE`s Energy Test Farm will provide a leading-edge venue for data collection, analysis and display to better quantify and facilitate the integration of control systems in the grid environment.

As part of its commitment to the CIP, CG Power will also support emerging career opportunities in the clean energy industry by offering internships and fellowships to undergraduate and graduate students wishing to enter careers related to smart grid technologies, as well as activities for middle and high school students interested in pursuing educational programs in the alternative energy field.